Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1887-07-14
The Race Prejudice.

At mass meeting Of the colo:ed people
on Tuesday night in one of their churches
up town to protest against the treatment or
their race at Asbury Park, the Rev. Mr.
Monroe declared very truly that the South
ern people were honester than the North
erners in their relations with the negroes.
They drew the color line squarely and made
no pretence OF doing otherwise, while here
race hatred was CLOSED over with sham
religious sentiment and hypocritical phi
lanthropy."
Mr.. Bradley, the founder and controller
of Asbury Park, says very frankly that he
objects to the colored people simply on bus
mess grounds. Il was compelled, in self
defence, TO express my mind, !" he explains {;
"for it the coored folks continued to flock
here it would ruin the place, for white people
would not come to the Park" He does not
himself care to draw the color line, but pub.
lie sentiment insists on drawing it for him
White people refuse to 60 where they will
be brought in contact with large numbers of
negroes, whether it is q church, theatre. or
watering place.
That is the fact, and eniranchisement and
the Civil Rights bill have in no respect
altered it. Hotel keepers would not object
to entertaining colored people if it was
profitable for them to do go, but they know
that they might almost as we'll admit q
small pox patient as negro Ninety. nine
white people out of hundred. and at the
North, too, would be indignant if they were
put next to him at table, and leave the
house, never again to set foot in it. So it is
at theatres. The colored people must be
cooped up by themselves in a distant gallery,
and if they were so numerous here as
to crowd the public conveyances the
white race would rise up in rebellion
against the carrying of them. Do we see
negroes occupying conspicuous seats III
fashionable churches, and, if they did oc-
cupy them, what would be the effect on the
prosperity of the churches? They may
come in small numbers, but they must sit
in the back pews or in the galleries. Scat
ter colored children freely among the classes
of Sunday school, and how long would
the white children remain? What woulCs
be the result ifa colored couple, no matter
how distinguished in appearance, shoulG
venture into the Charity Ball, for instance
The coored people must live by them
selves in houses and parts OF the town in.
habited by themselves especially. They
cannot get into the ordinary tenement
house Inhabited even by very poor families.
The sight Of q colored man with a white
woman on the streets or of Il colored woman
with white man is so'extraordnary that
it provokes great curiosity; and when there
are marriages between white and colore6
the pairs are tabooed by whites, and looked
upon with something akin to disgust.
That is the state of things long years after
emancipation and enfrauchisement, aud
there does not seem to be any leaseniug of
the race prejudice at the North Apparent
ly it is as strong now as it ever was, and
the tendency of the negroes to keep by
themselves is stronger than formerly, SO
that the African type becomes more decided
The Asbury Park incident therefore, only
gave expression to general sentiment, and
the protest of Tuesday nights meeting
should rather have been against that than
against Mr.. Bradley.
Neither political equality nor religion it..
self has been able to conquer this race preju-
lice, and lapse of time does not seem to
sven mitigate it.-N Y. Sun